


Detour

by DownToTheSea



Category: His Dark Materials (TV)
Genre: (at least Lee is friendly. Coulter just doesn't murder him on sight), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friendly Enemies, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27759235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DownToTheSea/pseuds/DownToTheSea
Summary: In the search for Lyra, Lee runs across an injured Coulter.
Relationships: Marisa Coulter/Lee Scoresby
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	Detour

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "get me" for one character saving another character! Apparently I can't resist the allure of canon-divergence fics where Lee and Coulter chase each other all across the worlds looking for Lyra and begrudgingly acting out an enemies to lovers plotline on the way. Thank you to the HDM Discord server for offering encouragement on this! <3

“Are you here to gloat, Mr. Scoresby?”

“No ma’am,” Lee said, and truly he didn’t feel much like gloating at all. He might not have much liked Lyra’s mother, but seeing her wounded like this, bleeding and struggling to breathe, brought him no pleasure. He holstered his gun and knelt beside her.

“What can I do to help?”

Mrs. Coulter rolled her eyes. “Oh, spare me. What you can do to  _ help  _ is remove your insufferable presence from mine at once. You want to find Lyra, don’t you? Well, here is your perfect opportunity to leave me in the dust.”

“You really just don’t get it, do you?” He and Hester cocked their heads at the same time, examining her. “You can’t imagine ever helping someone if it doesn’t benefit you.”

“Do I look as if I am in the mood to appreciate moralizing right now?” she said through gritted teeth.

He ignored her. “I’ve got a fair amount of experience with bullet wounds. I’ll help you, and then we’ll be on our way.”

“I don’t need your help,” she snapped, making an attempt to lash out that was curtailed by her injuries. “I don’t need anything from you. Leave.”

“Don’t like the thought of owing me one, huh?” Lee grinned. “I happen to like that thought a lot.”

She hissed at him. “I will not be indebted to you, no matter what you do.”

“Somehow I figured that already.” Lee took off his hat. “But it’ll still irk you, and I’ll still know. That’s good enough for me. Now will you let me help you? If it makes a difference, I swear I’m only doing it for Lyra.” That wasn’t strictly true; he couldn’t have left Coulter to die even if she had been a complete stranger. But the quicker he got her to go along with him, the less likely it was that she would bleed out before he got started.

Coulter eyed him resentfully. “I see why my daughter likes you.” It wasn’t a compliment.

“That’s a mighty fine compliment,” Lee said, because apparently he really loved digging his own grave. “Now can I have a look at that?”

She sized him up. He got the impression she was wondering if she could strangle him to death while he was trying to patch her up. “Very well,” she said at last, in a hard tone. “But I will not forget this.”

“Why do I get the feeling when  _ you  _ say that, it means something other than cheerful goodwill?”

She hissed at him again, and he only grinned wider.


End file.
